L.E.S. Artistes
(see Release history) | Genre = New Wave, Indie Rock, Alternative | Length = 3:43 (original) 3:24 (album version) | Label = Downtown Records (US) Atlantic Records (UK) | Writer = Santi White | Producer = Jonnie "Most" Davis | Certification = | Last single = "Creator" (2008) | This single = "L.E.S. Artistes" (2008) | Next single = "Lights Out" (2008) }} "L.E.S. Artistes" is the second single by American artist Santigold, and along with "Creator", the first to be taken from her self-titled debut Santogold (see 2008 in music). Background "L.E.S. Artistes" was written after Santi White moved to New York City. The song "is playing on the fact that everyone tries to make things fancy and it's really pretentious" and "about being accosted by the New York scene and the scenesters and hipsters, who are really not artists and are just pretending to be. They're all about just being seen." The title stands for New York's Lower East Side. "It's not a French thing," White stated in an interview with PopJustice. On MTV's FNMTV, Santogold stated that the title literally meant Lower East Side Artists. A custom edit of the XXXChange Mix appears in "Grid", a Mark Romanek directed computer animated commercial for Ford Flex that began running nationally in June 2008. Lastly, Curtis Santiago recently did a remix of this song featuring Kevvy Mental of the band Fake Shark - Real Zombie! for a mix tape produced by Mickey Fax. Release and reception The single's first commercial release was via the US iTunes Store on March 25, 2008, as a joint single with "Creator". It was released as the b-side to "Creator" through a limited edition 12" vinyl in January 2008, before receiving a full release on May 5. The XXXChange remix was also released. "L.E.S. Artistes" was featured as iTunes' Discovery Download for the week of April 28. The song has received heavy radio play in the UK and was on Radio 1's B List, and in Philadelphia the song has also received ecstatic play on Maximum Shine's themed radio show "Music Fo' Grown Fo'ks" at WKDU. The song was featured on the soundtrack for the video game NHL 08, which was released in September 2007. The song was also featured on MTV reality show, The Hills. Rolling Stone said that the track sounds like a "Cars/Strokes mash-up" and that "the lyrics blast pretentious downtowners, but the taut guitars epitomize New York hipness." .http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/24947047/singles_of_the_year Drowned in Sound noted that the song is "a slow-burning gem of palm-muted guitar chords." The Denver Post praised the "understated, Police-style guitars that drive" the song, calling them "almost hypnotic, especially with White's intoxicating mezzo-soprano yelping along." Rolling Stone placed L.E.S. Artistes at #2 on Singles of the Year and Pitchfork Media ranked it #4 at The 100 Best Tracks of 2008. Music video The music video, directed by Nima Nourizadeh, is a homage to the film The Holy Mountain. Rolling Stone placed the music video at number four on their bi-weekly Hot List. The video received attention after it was praised by Kanye West on his blog. The video starts with Santogold in a forest, singing on top of a black horse, while two similar looking women in sunglasses stand at her side and occasionally strike poses. The forest scene ends up with a light snow, following to a scene on a seemingly peaceful street/block. Santogold releases her black horse. People are simultaneously dying, but the gruesome things are replaced with various items: green hot dogs instead of intestines, paint instead of blood, being shot with paintballs rather than bullets. Santogold comes walking down the streets, without dying herself. The video ends with Santogold atop her black horse with her eyes closed. Track listing *'U.S. digital download' #Creator – 3:32 #L.E.S. Artistes – 3:43 *'U.S. digital EP' #L.E.S. Artistes – 3:24 #L.E.S. Artistes (XXXchange Remix) – 4:20 #L.E.S. Artistes (Switch Remix) – 5:15 #L.E.S. Artistes (Instrumental) – 3:45 *'UK CD single' (ATUK078CD) #L.E.S. Artistes – 3:24 #L.E.S. Artistes (Video) – 3:24 *'UK 7" vinyl' (ATUK078) #L.E.S. Artistes – 3:24 #Your Voice – 4:00 *'UK digital EP' #L.E.S. Artistes (Switch Remix) – 5:15 #L.E.S. Artistes (XXXchange Remix) – 4:20 #L.E.S. Artistes (Herve Edit) – 6:08 Official versions and remixes * Original Version — 3:43 * Album Version/Radio Edit — 3:24 * Instrumental — 3:45 * Grahm Zilla Remix — 4:26 * Hervé Edit — 6:08 * Switch Remix — 5:15 * XXXchange Remix — 4:20 * XXXchange Remix feat. Mavado — 3:50 (appears on Top Ranking) Release history Chart positions "L.E.S. Artistes" entered the UK Singles Chart at number fifty-one on May 4, 2008. The single rose to number thirty-seven and then a week later climbed to its peak of twenty-seven. It entered Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks at number forty in August 2008, and rose four places the following week. References Category:Songs Category:Band Hero songs Category:3rd Tier Category:Exportable songs